


Where We Began

by im_the_king_of_the_ocean



Series: RWBY Rarepair Week 2k19 [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Beginnings, F/F, First Meetings, Friends to Lovers, Not Canon Compliant, Penny Polendina Lives, Social Anxiety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2019-09-13
Packaged: 2020-10-17 19:21:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20626232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/im_the_king_of_the_ocean/pseuds/im_the_king_of_the_ocean
Summary: Ruby meets Penny at a gala while visiting Atlas with her dad.  Neither are aware at the time that they're at the start of something new and wonderful in their lives.





	Where We Began

“Oh, I knew this was a bad idea.”Ruby groans.She looks around, but recognizes no one.Well, except for her dad way on the other side of the ballroom, but he’s surrounded by other teachers and faculty-types.One of them seems to be in the middle of a funny story.They’re all laughing.Ruby doesn’t really want to interrupt.That would be awkward.Well, more awkward than her current level of awkward, which is already very high and…

Ruby sips her drink to distract herself.She just needs to make do.She can’t leave.Dad’s her only means of transportation back to where they’re staying.Also, he’d be disappointed in her if she tries to sneak off in the first half-hour, and she _really_ doesn’t want to disappoint him.Ruby knows he worries about her, especially now that Yang has started her first year at Beacon.It’s not completely _impossible _for Ruby to make friends on her own, but it’s still _hard_.Especially without her sister around.

Maybe she could try and guess what type of weapons the other guests have?Yeah, that could work.Almost nothing is better than weaponry—

“Salutations, fellow party guest!”

Ruby yelps.Her brain realizes what’s about to happen, attempts to stop it, but fails.Soda shoots out of her nose.She coughs.So much for making a good first impression on whoever just spoke.

“Are you alright?”A hand places itself comfortingly on Ruby’s back.“It was not my intent to startle you.”

Ruby looks up into the brightest pair of light green eyes she’s ever seen.She blinks.They can’t really be that bright, her mind thinks, but they are.“Um, I…”

“If you’ve been injured, I can notify the house doctor right away.Just let me get my scroll out—”

“No!No, that’s fine!I’m fine!”Ruby grabs onto the girl’s hands.“I just, errr, got lost in thought I guess.Hehe yeah, I do that sometimes.but I am toootally fine.”

The girl smiles.“Okay.May I ask what you were thinking about?”

“Nothing really.”Ruby rubs the back of her neck.In a mumbled tone, she adds, “Weaponry.”

“How interesting!I like weapons too,” the girl gushes.“I don’t have one of my own quite yet.Father says it’s still in development.But it’ll be ready soon, and then I can start training to become a Huntress at Atlas Academy.”

“Oh, um, me too, except I want to go to Beacon.”Ruby relaxes.This is familiar conversation territory, _and _the girl isn’t giving her the frustrating, ‘humoring’ looks that others sometimes do after she’s been awkward around them.“It’s where my sister goes.I’ve visited a couple times.It’s so cool there!”She sighs happily.“I can’t wait to forge my own weapon, and start training.”Ruby glances at the other girl, but she’s still listening attentively.She probably won’t mind if Ruby starts rambling.

Ruby takes out her scroll.“Here, see, these are my blueprints for my weapon.I’m going to call it Crescent Rose.It’s going to be so cool.It’ll be a scythe, like my uncle’s.Except mine will be way _cooler_ because it’s also a _sniper rifle_.”She flicks through image files.“Just don’t tell _him_ that.”Ruby snickers, mostly to herself.

The girl giggles in return.“I’ll be sure I won’t.”She pauses.“Though, who is your uncle?Just so I can be sure I know who to not say the wrong thing to.”

“Qrow Branwen.He teaches at Signal Academy, on Patch.At least for now.He keeps saying he’s going to leave.”Ruby holds out her hand.“I’m Ruby Rose, by the way.”

“Ruby Rose, daughter of Taiyang Xiao Long, who also teaches at Signal Academy,” the girl recites back to her.“Both him and Mr. Branwen were invited to tonight’s event, but only Taiyang is in actual attendance.”

“Um…I guess?Yeah?Dad brought me along, so I’m here too.”Ruby shifts her weight from foot to foot.She didn’t think it possible for anyone to be weirder than her, but here they were.“So, uh, what’s your name?”

“Penny Polendina.”The girl—Penny—takes in Ruby’s facial expression.“My apologies, did I say something wrong?”

“No, not really.It was just a little weird how you said all that stuff about my dad and my uncle.”Ruby shrugs.“But it’s not a big deal.I can be a little odd sometimes too.”

“Thank you for understanding.”Penny brightens.“I’ll try not to be as weird in the future.”She pauses.“But I’m still learning all the right social protocols.My father worries about me, so I’m not allowed out much.I don’t have many opportunities to talk to other people.”She frowns.“You’re the first person who’s wanted to talk to me all night.”

Ruby isn’t quite sure what to say to that, so she pats Penny on the shoulder twice.“Well, I think you’re pretty nice to talk to, Penny.Everyone here is old and boring anyway, except, you know, my dad.”

Penny grins back at her.She leans in conspiratorially, and whispers, “would you like to see something cool?It’s a secret I’ve never shown anyone before.”

“Sure, I gue—_whoooa_!”Ruby has no time to react.Penny has her by the wrist.She’s pulling her along behind her.They weave between party guests—at a speed that causes Ruby to consider if agility is Penny’s semblance—before exiting the ballroom.Ruby has only a second to wonder what sort of trouble she’s gotten herself into this time, and then they arrive at a library.

Penny opens the door and tiptoes inside.Ruby figures she’s come this far, she may as well see things through.She follows Penny.They pass tall bookshelf after tall bookshelf until they arrive at the back.Before Ruby’s eyes, Penny pushes a bookshelf aside with strength that Ruby wouldn’t have believed possible if she wasn’t witnessing it for herself.

There is no wall behind the shelf, but an opening leading onto a staircase, a secret passage.Penny glances back at Ruby, chews her bottom lip nervously, and then heads up.Again, Ruby follows.Penny seals the secret passage after them.

“So, errr, where are we going?”Ruby finally asks.She doesn’t want to distrust Penny.She seems so nice and Ruby always tries to think the best of people, but she’s beginning to get nervous herself.

“To my secret place.”Penny doesn’t turn around.“I come up here when I want time to myself to think.”She leads the way up the stairs.“I know we just met, but I’ve never been able to share anything with anyone before.I must ask you to pardon my hastiness.”

“That’s okay, I think—whooooaaa.”Ruby gasps.

At the top of the stairs is a small, forgotten nook.Leftover from a time before a remodeling of the manor house closed it off from the rest.The wall opposite Ruby and Penny is entirely paned-glass window, with makeshift, tattered bedsheets-turned-window-curtains framing it on either side.There are soft, but ancient-looking, cushions scattered across a woven carpet that had to have been dragged up from somewhere.Against the walls lean worn storybooks, much-cherished toys, and odd, quirky objects like a twisted up spatula.

Slowly, tentatively, Ruby wanders into the nook.She gazes out the window at one of the most scenic views she’s ever seen.Atlas sprawls out before her, gleaming in the moonlight.All smooth walls and shiny metal.It’s not home, certainly, and some of the things she’s seen walking the streets with Dad make her stomach churn, but, from this distance, it is kinda beautiful.

Penny walks up beside Ruby.“I like to think one day I’ll be able to go out there on my own, and experience the world for myself.Not just see it from a distance.”Penny says, without taking her eyes off the city.“I’m sorry to have dragged you up here, Ruby Rose.But I very much would like to be your friend and to share secrets with you like friends do, but I do not know when, or if, we’ll even meet again.”

“Don’t be sorry.”Ruby takes Penny’s hand in her own.“I’m glad I got to meet you.”She smiles at Penny.“And become your friend.”

It would take a lot of time and struggling to be together, but Ruby and Penny would eventually become something more than just friends to each other.They’d think back to this moment, lying together in their bedroom on a calm morning or side by side in a tent while on a mission, and grin at each other knowingly.Their past selves may not be aware that they’d just started something new and marvelous, but they did.

Their story would end happily, and they had all the time in the world to get there.


End file.
